The basketball ball was caught on top of the rim. Stuck right there. Everyone just looked at it, and then I burst out laughing. I was at a university in another nearby city, hanging out with some teammates and local friends. One of the friends, Bob, is from the city where we live and is a student at the university where we spend most of our time.
After the train was more than half way to our destination, we found out Bob had never before left his province! Now he was playing basketball, making some friends at the new university, when at an opportunity to make an amazing shot, he got the ball stuck on top of the rim. Earlier that day he had somehow managed to get a ping pong ball stuck in a tree and later boldly made the move to get some GIRLS’ numbers when we were teaching him how to make friends (they said no). Ok, so maybe Bob wasn’t so smooth.
This reminds me of my own life…I can think of countless times when I’ve found myself having to recover from awkward moments, but there’s a principle that redeems those situations. God doesn’t recruit the most perfect people to do His work with Him. Instead, He recruits those who are available, those who are willing to follow Him, to let HIM be the leader, and to let Him change them however He wants to rearrange things. A willing and available life in His hands is a powerful thing!
We spent three days with Bob, three days that proved to be an incredible time of ministry as we took Bob alongside us in our work. That first afternoon we taught him how to explore the new campus and get info about the place (the number of attending students, the most popular majors, etc.) and even make some new friends. The next morning, while the rest of us slept in a little, he went out exploring again. By 10:00 AM he came back with a more indepth report, including info that the campus we had just visited the day before had 3 locations in the area. All three locations were connected by tunnels, which he had also explored!
It’s been amazing to pour into willing, eager hearts! Wherever Bob goes, he’s always telling people about Jesus! He’s just a 2nd year university student, but he’s already thinking about joining a group like ours after he’s done with school. What a privilege it was to be a part of his first experience away from home!